I've been considering upgrading my CPU to either a 7800X3D or 9800X3D since they're great for PS3 emulation and PC gaming. However, I can't stretch my budget for a high-end GPU right now. I'm seeing mixed opinions online about whether a mid-range GPU like the 5060 Ti, 5070, or 9070 would bottleneck these CPUs. What do you all think? Would any of these graphics cards hold back the performance of the CPUs?
5 Answers
Nope, the CPU is meant to feed the GPU, so as long as your GPU isn't ancient, you should see good performance. It’s all about how you plan to use your setup.
Bottlenecking really depends on what you're playing. If you're using demanding emulators or CPU-heavy apps, having a more powerful CPU is great, but mid-range GPUs like the 5070 or 9070 should pair fine with those CPUs for most use cases. You won’t have a huge bottleneck unless your GPU is super outdated.
Honestly, just get whatever GPU you can afford. The key is to make sure your setup meets your gaming needs without overspending.
It’s true that any part can bottleneck depending on different factors. Just make sure to balance your choices according to your needs and budget.
You actually want to have a bit of a GPU bottleneck, especially for gaming and emulation. It means your GPU is doing enough work to keep things running smoothly without pushing your CPU to its limits.
That makes sense! So it's about balancing the workload, right?